Bench Press Formula Calculator
Enter your Gender, body weight, and bench press 1RM to calculate your formula coefficient.
An explanation of the formula coefficient can be found below the calculator.
Wilks Formula Calculator
Wilks Score: 0
Bench Press | What Is the Formula Coefficient?
In bench press, the formula coefficient is used as a tool in powerlifting competitions to fairly compare the performances of athletes with different body weights.
It is particularly useful when evaluating which athlete achieved the better performance among competitors of different body weights.
When used individually, it can also serve as an indicator to determine whether you are getting stronger or weaker when your bench press weight changes due to bulking or cutting.
Bench Press Formula Level Classification (Reference)
If you want to estimate your general level using the formula score, the following is a rough guideline.
There are no official standards, so these are only approximate.
| Level Category | Score (Reference) |
|---|---|
| Beginner | < 59 |
| Novice | 60〜74 |
| Intermediate | 75〜99 |
| Advanced | 100〜114 |
| Elite | > 115 |
The Role of the Bench Press Formula Coefficient
The basic role of the formula coefficient is to adjust a lifter’s performance based on body weight. This allows lighter athletes who lift heavy weights to be evaluated as performing equally well as—or even better than—heavier athletes.
This is necessary because heavier athletes generally tend to lift more weight. Therefore, a metric is needed to show how strong a lighter athlete is relative to their body weight.
When used individually, your bench press weight may increase or decrease as your body weight changes.
In such cases, the formula coefficient helps determine whether you have become relatively stronger.
Example:
Max weight at 80 kg body weight: 120 kg = Formula score: 81.9
Max weight at 70 kg body weight: 115 kg = Formula score: 86.0
Although the max weight decreased by 5 kg after losing 10 kg of body weight, the formula score increased by 4, indicating that the lifter has become relatively stronger.
This means that a decrease in absolute weight is not necessarily a bad thing.
In fact, because the formula score has improved, it suggests that relative strength and technique have improved. It may also indicate the potential to lift more than 120 kg if body weight is increased again.
For more information about the Wilks Formula, please refer to:
WORLD POWERLIFTING / WILKS FORMULA TABLES.